Called to go: CTG 0014

ROME AND THE REGIONS BEYOND

" ... I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience - by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God - so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, but as it is written, 'Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.'" - Romans 15:18-21 ESV

These words were sent in a letter to Christians who lived in Rome. Written about AD 57, probably from Corinth, towards the close of Paul's third extensive church-planting and church-consolidating journey in the regions adjacent to the north-eastern rim of the Mediterranean.

They express the passion, vision and insight of someone who is fully aware that anything of lasting and eternal value can only be accomplished by Christ, in and through us, by means of the strength and enabling of the Holy Spirit. (Compare John 15:5.)

They also reveal the extent of the successive missions completed up until that date, from Jerusalem to the Roman province of Illyricum (north of the province of Macedonia, between the Adriatic and the Danube). The Christian communities that were established across these areas would continue spreading the message of salvation through faith in Christ.

As for Paul, the time had now come for him to raise his gaze and focus his vision on reaching those who still had no one to tell them the good news about Jesus. His plan was to evangelise and plant churches among those who lived on the western stretches of the Roman Empire, in the province of Spain. And his intent was to travel there via Rome, aided by believers living in the imperial capital.

In fact, he had a longstanding desire to visit Rome, praying often for the believers there, wanting to see them personally, to strengthen them and experience mutual encouragement. Committed to God's will with respect to this matter, he also longed to successfully proclaim the good news about Jesus to others in that city (Romans 1:7-17).

The letter quoted above was intended for all the believers who were resident in Rome (Romans 1:7). And this correspondence makes it abundantly obvious what the content of his preaching and teaching would be on his arrival, that only in Christ salvation is possible, available for all who believe.

Many of the recipients were personally known to Paul and some of them were his colleagues (Romans 16:1-16). He informs them all that he would first travel to Jerusalem with relief for the poor among the believers there, aid that was given by the churches established in the provinces of Macedonia and Achaia (Romans 15:20-33; compare Acts 19:21). Representatives from these churches would be involved in administering this expression of love, accompanying Paul to Judea (1 Corinthians 16:1-4; 2 Corinthians 8:16-24; compare Acts 20:1-6).

Paul asks the Romans to pray for him (Romans 15:30-33). He knows the way will be fraught with difficulty and danger. Nevertheless, God had prepared him and he would not be deterred from his objective, though it would mean suffering and imprisonment.

The apostle was no stranger to opposition and affliction (e.g. 2 Corinthians 11:24-27). He himself had caused havoc among believers before he yielded his life to Christ (Acts 9:1-9). And when he became a Christian the Lord Jesus made it plain to him how much he would suffer for his sake (Acts 9:10-31).

During this final journey back to Judea, Paul met with the elders from Ephesus, at Miletus, and said to them: "I have had one message for Jews and Gentiles alike - the necessity of turning from sin to God through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And now I am going to Jerusalem, drawn there irresistibly by the Holy Spirit, not knowing what awaits me, except that the Holy Spirit has told me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. But life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus - the work of telling others the Good News about God's mighty kindness and love [i.e. the gospel of the grace of God] (Acts 20:21-24 TLB [ESV])."

God was going to answer Paul's prayers concerning his desire to witness for Christ in Rome. Even in the middle of the obstacles, when everything seemed hopeless, the Lord assured him that it would happen (Acts 23:11; 27:23-26). But it would be a number of years before he would get there. And he would arrive there as a prisoner.

To be continued ...

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The content of this blog needs to be far more than of historical interest to us. An open-hearted response to the Word of God can produce in us:

(a) a longing to faithfully serve the Lord, whatever the circumstances.

(b) steadfastness in the truth of the gospel.

(c) a concern for those who have never heard about Jesus.

(d) trust in God's promises.

(e) an awareness that we are totally dependent on the Holy Spirit.

Consider the encouragement to pray, as described in 1 Timothy 2:1-7.

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With my youngest son Jonathan at the Colosseum in Rome (June 2015):